Tobacco 21

Tobacco 21

Preventing tobacco use has already had a dramatic effect on our country, yet smoking tobacco remains the single most preventable cause of death and disease. Policies that raise the minimum legal age for the sale of tobacco products to 21 can reduce the number of young people – even those younger than 21 – using these products, which greatly reduces their risk for addiction, disease, and premature death.

Our assessment of Tobacco 21 policies includes information about city-specific laws, along with the relevant county- and state-level laws that affect them. This cross-sectional dataset displays laws valid through December 1, 2017.

The state of Tobacco 21 policies in big US cities

Fifteen out of 40 cities received a gold medal for their Tobacco 21 policies.

Gold

Silver

Bronze

Out of the nation’s 40 largest cities

Measuring big cities’ Tobacco 21 policies

How did we award Tobacco 21 policy medals?

Must set the minimum legal sale age of tobacco products to 21

The age restriction explicitly applies to all tobacco products, including e-cigarette and vapor products